New Delhi: Expressing his displeasure over the issue of delay in the construction of the flats for the slum dwellers, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wrote a letter to Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

Following which the Delhi Government has decided to give a detailed reply related to the construction of houses for the slum dwellers to the PM’s December 26 letter, sources said.

Notably, both President Pratibha DeviSingh Patil and Lokayukta Justice Manmohan Sareen have pulled up the Delhi Government for its failure to deliver the houses on time.

The Delhi government in 2008 had announced to provide dwellings to the slum dwellers under the Rajiv Ratna Awas Yojana. A huge number of applications were also filed in this regard but no allotments have been made so far. Similar promises were made in 2010 but in vain.

The government had also made tall claims that before the CommonWealth Games, the state would have no slums. But it failed miserably.

However, the government is now mulling over implementing this residential plan. It is believed that some of the slum dwellers would be allotted concrete houses in January itself.

Working under the guidance of the Delhi Government, Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board after conducting a survey has said that there are 685 slums in the city.

First it was decided that the residents of these colonies would be allotted houses by 2002 and then it was extended to 2007 and the prices of such houses were fixed at Rs 1.22 lakh. It was also decided that the houses would be allotted free of cost to the slum dwellers but now the government will charge half the price from those slums that have come up after 2002.